The Standard |
HE’S the oldest footballer still playing seniors in the Warrnambool and District league and reckons he’s retired 10 times.
But 42-year-old South Rovers onballer Matt Wood can still see a day when he runs out with his son Ty, most likely in the Lions’ reserves.
They already combine in the under 12s, with Wood the coach and Ty one of the troops. Walter Oval is somewhat of a second home.
“Someone said to me ‘how do you keep running around?’ I said ‘I just enjoy it’,” Wood said of his longevity in an ever-evolving game.
“I’m not waking up sore on a Sunday. I love training.
“When you’re up there you keep going and do the senior stuff. It’s a good release from work.”
Wood will play his 200th senior match for South Rovers when he runs out against Kolora-Noorat in front of their home fans today.
His overall tally — seniors and reserves — is in the 350 range and includes time at two other clubs — Ballarat-based Golden Point and Northern Districts. Golden Point, which merged with East Ballarat to become East Point in 2001, was where his career started as a 10-year-old.
He played with the club for a decade before shifting to Warrnambool to be closer to his father and joined Northern Districts in 1993.
“I got hijacked,” Wood said of his arrival at the Bushfield-based club.
“I sold (secretary) Leon McCluskey a bed when I was working at Captain Snooze and he heard I was going to walk out to the Sharks and have a kick.
“I delivered a bed and they had (coach) Mick McKinnon and (president) Jimmy Bligh all turn up to sign me up. They’d heard I’d played seniors in Ballarat.”
The Eagles won a Warrnambool and District league premiership in 1994 and Wood stayed with the club until 1999 when he crossed to South Rovers.
He was part of the Lions’ drought-breaking 2007 senior premiership, again tasting success in 2011, this time with the reserves.
“I think I’ve retired 10 times but I keep sneaking up here at the start of the season to stick my head around the club, see if they’re short in the twos,” he said.
“They end up being short and so I play. Occasionally I get in the best and end up in the seniors. I haven’t thought I’d play ones in the last five years.”
So what’s the secret to being able to play week in, week out when most others his age are long retired? Kite surfing, strangely enough. Wood is a fanatic.
“I feel better now than I did four years ago through kite surfing. Your core is much stronger,” he said.
South Rovers enter today’s match ranked eighth on the Warrnambool and District league ladder with a 4-9 record.
The Lions have been competitive but lacked enough top-line players to seriously challenge finals-bound Panmure, Allansford and Merrivale.
But Wood is optimistic the club has a bright future. He senses the day his services are no longer required in the seniors is not far away.
“We’ve blooded a lot of young kids this season. We’ve got five or six under 17 kids playing this week. We’ve been able to play a heap of those,” he said.
